The invention relates to machines for performing work involving compression and exhaust functions and adapts to pumps, hydraulic motors, and internal combustion engines. The inventive apparatus in the pump mode has the advantages of a piston pump in high pressure capacity but has the smoothness of output associated with centrifugal pumps. As a pump or as a hydraulic motor, which except for point of energy application operate identically, the valvelessness of the inventive apparatus increases mechanical efficiency by reducing the weight of moving parts and reduces overall weight as well as removing requirement for valve timing pulse, thereby increasing volumetric efficiency.
Internal combusion engines, both of the conventional reciprocating type and rotary type such as the Wankel design have inherent disabilities. The reciprocating engine requires a flywheel to smooth the power delivery to the work. However, the flywheel weight is an inefficiency in the engine. Also, the reversal of the piston travel both at top and bottom of its reciprocating strokes requires the overcoming of inertia since the piston in effect reaches rest at both extremes of travel. These inertia problems are overcome by the rotary type engines but inherent in the rotary design is a problem with sealing against the pressures of combustion and compression due to the substitution of line sealing for the surface sealing of a piston engine. The present invention overcomes sealing deficiency by using conventional pistons. It also overcomes the deficiencies in volumetric efficiency of conventional engines, pumps, and motors because of its unique valving arrangement.
The inventive apparatus may be used for vacuum pump, a high head pump, or for viscous liquid pumps, soft granular material pump, and may have both high pressure and sensitive valving. Because of its volumetric efficiency, its use as a pneumatic compressor enables it to be a large volume high pressure unit.